Explosives co. faced scrutiny before La evacuation

FILE - This undated file aerial photo provided by the Louisiana State Police via The Shreveport Times shows part of the smokeless explosive powder improperly stored outside Explo Systems Inc., a munitions dismantling facility at Camp Minden at Doyline, La. Explo Systems is currently under investigation for improperly storing millions of pounds of a military propellant, prompting the evacuation of the nearby town of Doyline. Documents reviewed by The Associated Press show Explo Systems Inc. was previously cited for safety violations in 2007 after old Army explosives were used in mining operations in West Virginia. (AP Photo/Louisiana State Police via The Shreveport Times)
— AP

FILE - This undated file aerial photo provided by the Louisiana State Police via The Shreveport Times shows part of the smokeless explosive powder improperly stored outside Explo Systems Inc., a munitions dismantling facility at Camp Minden at Doyline, La. Explo Systems is currently under investigation for improperly storing millions of pounds of a military propellant, prompting the evacuation of the nearby town of Doyline. Documents reviewed by The Associated Press show Explo Systems Inc. was previously cited for safety violations in 2007 after old Army explosives were used in mining operations in West Virginia. (AP Photo/Louisiana State Police via The Shreveport Times)
/ AP

DOYLINE, La. 
The explosives recycling company that caused the evacuation of a Louisiana town has come under scrutiny for explosions and its handling of dangerous materials before, and it was so far behind on its rent that the Louisiana National Guard refused to lease it more space.

Explode Systems Inc. was cited for safety violations by the federal government in 2007 for its use of old Army explosives in mining operations in West Virginia, where a blast with "outdated deteriorated military ordnance" injured one worker and exposed others to toxins. And the company had fallen hundreds of thousands of dollars behind on its rent at a Louisiana National Guard base even as it processed an Army contract to demilitarize hundreds of thousands of propelling charges used for artillery.

The company's most recent problems began with an explosion in October at that northern Louisiana facility. Authorities investigating the blast found an estimated 6 million pounds of a propellant called M6 - used for artillery rounds - haphazardly stored. Some boxes were stacked in buildings, some were packed into long corridors that connect the buildings and still more were found stashed outside. Some of the containers were spilling open.

Authorities feared that ignition of any of the propellant could set off a massive chain reaction that would race through the corridors and blow up multiple buildings, threatening the town of Doylies. Its 800 residents were put under a voluntary evacuation order for several days ending late last week, with kids out of school and some people living at camp sites in a nearby state park. The company is now under a criminal investigation for its storage of the materials, which have are being secured.

Lt. Col. Michael Kazmierzak, a Louisiana National Guard spokesman, said Explo officials asked earlier this year to lease more space at the base but that the request was turned down because the company was roughly $400,000 behind on rent. He said the company never again brought up the need for more space, but the Guard eventually worked out a payment plan for the rent that was owed. He said Explo has made at least one payment under that plan.

State Police spokeswoman Julie Lewis has said the materials found outside appeared to have been "hidden" among trees. It's not clear if they were put there after the National Guard refused to give the company more space.

Explo Systems has not responded to numerous messages. An attorney who has represented the company declined to comment when a reporter visited his office last week in Shreveport, La.

Webster Parish Sheriff Gary Sexton said Tuesday that Explo's owners have not been in contact with authorities and there has been limited communications with the company's attorneys.

The October explosion wasn't the first at the Explo facility. A series of at least 10 explosions there in 2006 caused an evacuation of Doyline, shut down Interstate 20 and forced officials to move students to schools in a nearby town, Sexton has said.